Chapter 22 - New Beginnings:
CoffeeAddict: Hey, have any of you guys heard from Youko?
Preparefortrouble: Not since she left the house
Peachtea: why? What's wrong?
CoffeeAddict: She was supposed to check in with me at the office around 3, but it's almost 4 now and there's been no word from her.
CoffeeAddict: I'm getting worried.
Makeitdouble: she did say she needed some alone time this weekend
Iseedeadpeople: and she's been in a mood lately. Maybe she just needs some space?
CoffeeAddict: I get that. But it's not like her to be late to this degree. She's easily distracted, but not like this.
Done(™): Did you try her cell?
Peachtea: we all know that you have trackers on our cells for your piece of mind. Just use that
Devlin-ishlyHandsome: just leave her be. I'm sure she's fine. She just needs some space to think. Youko knows how to stay safe
Preparefortrouble: try shouting the S-word about her really loudly. It's a great Youko finding tool.
CoffeeAddict: She's not Edward Elric, Joey.
Done(™): Damn it, you're making ME worried now, Seto!
Done(™): But Lily's right here with me, and he wouldn't be here if she was in danger, right?
Iseedeadpeople: what about diabound?
Done(™): also chilling with me. He's hanging out in the spice cabinet.
Peachtea: i want to say she's fine but….I've got a bad feeling
Makeitdouble: me too guys
CoffeeAddict: …Hinata, Marik, get Youko's bed ready and the first-aid kit.
Preparefortrouble: wtf? What happened?!
CoffeeAddict: Mahad's in my office.
Done(™): oh no
CoffeeAddict: And call the police.
CoffeeAddict: If what I'm being told is true… there should be an escaped convict waiting for them in an alley. Possibly traumatized.
Makeitdouble: Oh No.
Peachtea: why is Mahad with you and not her then?
Preparefortrouble: and why didn't lily go to her?!
Iseedeadpeople: … oh no. Oh Gods no.
When she wakes up, her head is pounding and her body feels tender and sore. Like she's been a trip around a human-sized version of Hinata's stand-mixer - pushed and beat and twisted into all sorts of shapes she shouldn't, but somehow has.
There's a sharp, stinging pain shooting through her palms and across her cheek.
She can feel the weight of the puzzle around her neck and the wall behind her and she leans more heavily against it as she collects herself, the cold and damp of the tomb that is now a fixture in her soul seeping into her bones.
"You are truly magnificent".
She looks up, startled at the sudden voice… and there he is.
His skin is pale - way too pale, much paler than it should be. She supposes she should've expected that, he hasn't discovered his true self yet and is still very much basing his entire being upon his host. Upon her. (Youko stubbornly shoves that train of thought away.)
His voice is deep. She hadn't realized just how deep it'd be to hear in person, when the last time she heard it his state was still that of a child, confused and tired, and the rest of the time she's "heard" him were but whispers of feelings.
The boy-man-spirit kneels in front of her, extending his hand to her. "You truly are the Sun," he says, a guarded look in his eyes, even as his voice is full of awe. "The Light who spoke to me when I was all alone in the Darkness".
(….and isn't that unsettling. She's not quite used to such...worship and adoration directed at her. She hopes he quickly gets over that.)
Without really thinking about it, she takes his hand, and he lifts it to plant a careful kiss to her knuckles, like an ancient knight… well, ancient king he really is.
Youko bites back a laugh as she suddenly thinks of Hinata, stuck with the thief who has no manners and is brash and loud, and her being jealous and wanting to trade items and spirits.
But no, she should focus. This isn't all fun and games, and it never really will be.
"What… what happened?" She asks him, struggling to right herself and get back on her feet. "That convict. What did you do to him?"
His hands hover in the air around her as he seemingly debates with himself whether to help her up, or make her stay down. He settles for putting a hand behind her back to gently support her and offer more comfort.
She doesn't even notice or realize that she leans into his touch, thinks nothing of the warmth she feels radiating from him.
His face settles into a scowl. "The one who dared touch you shan't be doing so again, rest assured of that, my Light," and there's a finality to his voice that removes any kind of doubt she might've had before hand. "It would have been a pleasure to see him devoured by the Darkness and watch him squirm, but… I didn't kill him, as you requested".
"...thank you." She sighs softly, closing her eyes in relief.
She had worried. Of course she had. He's got power - so much more than her, though they share a body now - and he could have easily disregarded her wish.
But he didn't.
And that means more to her than anything else in this moment.
"Thank you," she repeats.
He looks at her with a strange, almost startled look in his eyes. Then he bows his head to her. "It was nothing. My sole duty is to keep my Light safe and protected".
(...yeah, they're going to have to work on the whole "guard-dog spirit" kind of thing at a later date…..)
It's silent for several moments.
A light shines from somewhere far above them, and he looks up. "It is time for you to leave, my Light. You mustn't stay in this place for too long".
Youko struggles with herself for several moments before she giving up.
Very gently, she turns to him and wraps him in a hug.
"Hello." She whispers to him.
He jumps - just the tiniest reaction - in her arms. And then, miraculously, he returns the embrace.
"Hello," he whispers back. "I heard you in the Darkness, too".
Youko closes her eyes. She can't quite feel him - it's like there's some kind of barrier between their bodies, preventing true touch - but there's something like a phantom touch along her skin, and that's good enough for her.
When she's opening her eyes, there's another set of hands on her body, and Seto is looking down at her, a frantic look in his eyes as he says something. It might be her name, but it's difficult to hear through the buzzing in her eyes and fog in her head.
And then she hears the screaming in the background and the call of sirens from further out.
"Let me out! LeT Me oUT! I don't want to play this gaME anYMOrE!"
She turns to look, only for Mahad to appear to the side of Seto, blocking her view.
He shakes his head, silently telling her to not look. She can see the worry and guilt swirling in his eyes.
She jolts when she suddenly senses mistrust and anger, not her own, trickle through her.
"I don't trust him." Yami's voice hisses faintly in her head. She nudges him mentally, "tough. I do."
Youko focuses back on Seto when he shakes her again.
There's a deeply worried look in his eyes, tainted with a cold look that is so unfamiliar on his face… but would probably not look out of place on a different Seto. One who didn't have anyone to save him from Gozaburo.
"I'm ok."
The look of disbelief he gives her makes her chuckle.
"Let's see what the paramedics have to say about that, shall we?" He comments, carefully wrapping his arms around her to help her stand, almost mimicking Yami with the action. "I'd rather not know where that knife has been or what it could be infected with".
"This isn't going to work."
"Whatever do you mean, my little darling?"
"Uncle, it's been a month. More than a month. The information about the entirety of the Mutou Clan and their relations and has been proven to be faulty repeatedly. If I haven't befriended them now, then I never will. Especially not after that incident last week."
"Hmm… I never expected you to give up quite so easily, little one".
"I'm not giving up! I'm just saying that this plan just isn't going to cut it when the data is faulty! What do you want me to do, try to force my way into being their friend even more than I already am?"
"You certainly had no trouble befriending those other three."
"Leave them out of this, I had nothing to do with that! It's not like I can just tell them to get lost, it's way too late for that now - it'd be suspicious!"
"Have you considered recruiting them, then?"
"That… that would be a lost cause… Hi- Oshitaki hates them. Or- or he distrusts them, I don't know. It's like he's got some kind of grudge, but he won't tell me about it."
"And the other two?"
"They're indifferent, but I think they're too loyal to the mushroomhead to do anything that'd upset him."
"Ah, I see… can't be too good friends if they're forcing you to pick sides, like this."
"Uncle."
"Now now, don't take that tone with me young lady. I'm just looking out for your best interests… and those of our cause. Don't you want to get her back, just as much as me?"
"I- of course I do, Uncle, you know that but-"
"You feel lost?"
"I… yes. I'm sorry, but… I just- I just don't know what to do anymore."
"Hmmm, no no, nothing to apologize for little darling, perhaps it's my fault for sending someone so young out in the first place. I should've known it would be too difficult for you."
"Uncle, don't say that, you make it sound like I don't care! I can do it, I'm your goddaughter, aren't I? You raised me more and better than that man ever did, I'm as capable as any other you could possibly send!"
"Are you really, now?"
"I am, I swear!"
"Good. Then I trust that you'll have some better results soon, yes?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Goodnight, my little sweetheart."
"Goodnight, Uncle. I love you… miss you."
"I miss you too. Bye for now".
The connection is cut off, then, and she just stands there, hidden behind a small cluster of bushes. There's a crackling sound, like static, and she allows herself to utter a single growl.
"Rrrraaaaah! How can he just tell me to-"
"Yamagawa-san?"
Hanabi looks up, shocked, into the concerned eyes of Mokuba Kaiba. "Oh… Kaiba-kun?"
"Mutou, please," he corrects her quickly. "What are you doing all the way out here? Curfew is going to start soon."
She's quick to hide her phone behind her back and forces a smile. "Oh, I- you see, I had to call my godfather about something important, and I guess I lost track of time. Would you like to walk back with me, Mutou-kun?"
He looks at her face, then shrugs. "I mean, I have to be back at curfew, too, so…"
"Ah… right, right," she tries to stop the blush of embarrassment and just feels so incredibly awkward. "Shall we go, then?"
They start walking, but Mutou is still looking at her face. "Are you okay, Yamagawa-san?"
She does her very best to smile and look perky, to act like someone he can trust and believe in. "Of course I am, why wouldn't I be, everything is just peachy!"
"...you're trying too hard, Yamagawa-san." He says softly. "There's no need to force yourself to act ok if you're not."
And isn't that just a stab in her heart, and somehow also incredibly heartwarming at the same time?
But she can't crack, she mustn't show weakness, she-
"I- it's just…" she grits her teeth and looks away, crumbling right in front of him. "Do you know what it's like… to constantly put on a mask and go along with what other people say, because you're just a kid and of course they know better, but everything in you just… wants to scream and cry in protest, but you can't, because then they'll just call it a tantrum and you're scared they'll never show you any kind of respect?"
"Not like they ever had much respect for you in the first place," Mutou mumbles back in agreement, and much as she has a thousand words she wants to say, she can only nod her head vigorously.
"Yes, exactly! And you just want to tear off that stupid mask, but you can't."
"We feel that almost everyday honestly."
"We?"
"Yeah. Me and my family. We have to constantly have masks on. Act and speak a certain way when out of the house. It sucks."
They're at the doors to the dorms, now, but they don't go inside. Looking at the clock on the wall up above them, Hanabi knows they have a few minutes left before they have to be inside, and for some reason they linger.
He's silent for a moment and then, "We're not stupid. Nor deaf."
Hanabi winces. "Ah… sorry. I've been telling Oshitaki to knock it off?"
"Not you. You haven't said or done anything yet." He says with a smirk that makes him look very much like his older brother, "but yeah, Oshitaki and the others. We know what they say and think of us. It's hard not to really."
He takes a deep breath. "They say we're cold and distant but, what they fail to realize is that they're the cause of it. We've been through a lot and we all have problems. That's why we see therapists. But we don't want to be alone. We want friends. But…."
"How can you be friends with people who talk behind your back, want to use you for something, or won't defend you from others? Who say cruel and thoughtless things?"
He nods. "Yeah…"
The clock ticks over to 9pm and the evening bell rings in the curfew just as they pass into the building. Hanabi manages what feels like a genuine smile and says: "If it's any consolation, though I know it's not… I think Hiro's grudge isn't about using you, but something else. Won't really tell me."
He makes a vague noise in his throat before asking, "Why did you come to Meiou, Yamagawa-san?"
And that's the hardest question. Why did she come to Meiou? She can't tell him that she only came because of her uncle's plot, that she's trying to use him and his siblings as much as anybody else is trying to?
She hesitates before answering honestly (or as much as she can):
"I came to Meiou… because I saw you- all of you, and all the mean things those self-important people said about you, and I… I thought that you, more than anyone else… would understand how it felt when father went to prison and we had to go into hiding. Did you know my sisters had to delete all their social media?"
"Makes sense really. After that whole mess, I would have had to, had I any at the time. People think it's ok to harass others just because." He grumbles, a deep scowl on his face.
Hanabi nods as they enter their floor. "Yes, exactly! It's just… it's awful."
Mokuba stops outside of her room and carefully reaches out, as if she's an easily spooked animal, and takes her hands in his.
"I'm sorry for what happened to you and your sisters Yamagawa-san." He takes her hand and bows, placing a kiss in the air above it. "Thank you for letting me escort you back to our dorms. And thank you for the talk."
Her face proceeds to explode and all of her thought-processes go right out the window.
"Uh-buh…!"
"Have a good evening Yamagawa-chan! I'll see you tomorrow." He says cheerily and winks at her before walking to his own room.
Her mind blanks and she goes through her pre-bedtime routine as if in a haze. When Cass raises an eyebrow at her from across the room, mouthing "you okay?" she can only shake her head dismissively.
"...oh no, I'm in so much trouble." She thinks faintly before falling asleep for the night.
Chat/text names:
Seto- coffeeaddict
Tea- peachtea
Joey- preparefortrouble
Tristan- makeitdouble
Hinata- Done(™)
Marik- Iseedeadpeople
Duke- Devlin-ishlyHandsome
A/N:
Surprise, surprise! Another update! (Wtf. How is this even possible? 3 updates in one month?!) things are moving along! (Finally)
So, to clarify, this takes place over the same day except the last part which is a week or so later.
We had fun coming up with the chat names for the gang. Those will probably change now and then for fun tho.
So yay! Yami is awake! Things are really starting finally!
And look at our smooth sweet Mokuba. Duke has corrupted him and the others lol ;)
Shoutout to all of the people who viewed and all of our current followers and faves and our new followers and favorites (Moonflower28, Stalona, and Sparrowhawk8.20) And thanks to everyone who left Kudos!
And EXTRA thank yous and love for the reviews/comments!
Please, PLEASE leave us comments and reviews, especially if you have any questions or are confused! We love them so very much! We get motivated to write when we get reviews!
Thanks again to the amazingly talented and lovely Moirei for Beta-ing for us, as always :)
Please check out our side story, Beyond the Game. It's got (or is going to anyways) missing scenes from what wouldn't fit into chapters, and also details of certain events that we (or you) wanted to expand upon.
Also, our other SI story, Judgement of Our Sins, is currently on hold. Canon is a mess and we're struggling to figure out a story and what we will do. It's just utter chaos so we've decided to wait for it to end or something before continuing.
Anyways, that's all for this chapter. Stay safe and have a good rest of your day, week, or month(s). Until next time duckies!
C. S. Stars
A/N:
Ladies, Gentlemen and everything in between, we are very proud to officially introduce the first ship of this fic: Paint-shipping aka. Mokuba/Hanabi! Don't worry, it's all just starting out and will be very slow-burn with lots of puppy love and !pre-teen with a crush" shenanigans, but at some point they will end up ridiculously in love and be sickeningly cute together.
I'd like to speak a little about this scene, though. Not that all the other things with Yami and Youko aren't all very exciting, but I thought I should mention that Hanabi's dynamic with the DQ wasn't originally supposed to be like this. This is something I'll touch upon later, but she was supposed to be more at odds with them… but all of that got scrapped and changed during this scene. Pegasus wasn't meant to be this manipulative, either, but… this happen when writing, and ultimately both Stars and I like this development a lot more :)
Aside from that, a new thing we're going to be doing is adding in a little more social media type stuff, like chatroom sections and such.
(Stars cutting in to say, we totally started this whole thing as a social media au inspired by the movie and new beautiful animation.)
It ran away from us, as you've probably all noticed. My lovely co-author and I have agonized over this fact MANY times.
Other than that, not much to add really. Things are slowly moving along, and I'm still running from my responsibilities and writing fics instead like the tired university student I am. (I swear I'm an adult.)
Oh well.
Thanks to everyone who commented, asked questions, left kudos and followed :) We greatly appreciate it all.
See you all next time!
NordicTwin
Not yet Edited/Beta by Moirei
Finished & Published: January 16, 2020